Principal Electrical Engineer - ONEC.1 at African Development Bank - AfDB

Objectives

• The mission of the Energy, Environment and Climate Change Department (ONEC) is to spearhead the Bank Group's energy operations in Regional Member Countries (RMCs).
• It helps address climate change and environmental issues by incorporating them into Bank Group-supported operations and giving them the visibility required.
• The ONEC Department includes two energy divisions and a third division which is responsible for climate change and environmental issues.
• The main objective of the North, West and Central Africa Energy Division (ONEC.1) is to build on the Bank’s sector skills and strengthen its capacity to become the leader in strategy, development, financing and implementation of energy projects and programmes in North, West and Central Africa.

Duties and Responsibilities
The Principal Electrical Engineer will be under the general supervision of the Division Manager for North, West and Central Africa Energy Sector (ONEC.1). He/she will cover primarily the following countries: The Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone. He/she will have the following key duties / responsibilities:

• Lead the identification, preparation, appraisal and supervision of energy projects and programmes;
• Perform sector analysis and diagnosis that will help in developing Country Strategy Papers (CSPs);
• Conduct analytical studies of the energy sector’s status in RMCs to identify constraints, challenges and priorities of the countries, and to provide guidance to Management on actions that can sustainably generate quality results for Bank-financed programmes / projects;
• Contribute to the preparation of Country Strategy Papers (in line with national policy and strategy as well as Bank policy on the energy sector), with special focus on the development of the energy sector;
• Contribute to the mid-term review of the Bank's strategies and energy sector portfolio reviews;
• Monitor the implementation of Bank recommendations at the end of supervision missions, mid-term reviews, portfolio reviews and financial audits of energy programmes / projects;
• Review evaluation reports of technical and financial tenders for the award of contracts for Bank-financed programmes / projects in the energy sector;
• Represent the Bank in conferences, seminars and national and regional workshops, participate in fora and consultation meetings or technical and financial partners coordination in the energy sector, and report to the ONEC.1 Division Manager;
• Contribute to sector dialogue with governments on planning, governance, reforms and policy in the energy sector;
• Help in the strengthening of coordination and dialogue with other donors on activities related to energy projects / programmes;
• Provide advice and guidance to officials of programme/project implementing agencies on sectoral issues and national priorities as well as on the Bank's guidelines on financial management and procurement of goods, works and services;
• Support stakeholders in the timely implementation of Bank loans / grants in the energy sector of RMCs;
• Support country and implementing agency officials in the implementation of procurement plans and loan/grant disbursements made by the Bank for the financing of energy sector programmes / projects;
• Participate in the preparation of policy statements, articles, information kits, and various reports on issues related to the energy sector and other related areas; and
• Undertake any other activity that may be assigned by the ONEC.1 Division Manager.

Selection Criteria
Including desirable skills, knowledge and experience:

• A minimum of a Master's degree or its equivalent in Electro-mechanical, Electrical Engineering or a related field;
• A minimum of six (6) years relevant professional experience in (i) planning, design, construction, supervision and maintenance of energy infrastructure; and (ii) procurement;
• Relevant professional experience in project management and financing in the public sector and development finance institutions;
• Proven ability to build and lead a team of professional staff and to utilize talent and expertise of team members;
• Sound knowledge of project cycle and project implementation principles;
• Proven ability to interact with staff of power utilities and donor agencies on issues relating to aid coordination as well as with the private sector;
• Demonstrated ability to build and lead a team of professionals (lawyer, environmentalist, procurement specialist and financial management expert, financial analyst, economist, etc.), and use the talents and expertise of team members in a productive manner;
• Good listener with demonstrated ability to present ideas and gain support as well as the ability to make effective and timely decisions;
• Competence in the use of Bank standard software applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, MS Projects);
• Ability/willingness to easily familiarize himself/herself with various Bank tools such as SAP;
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English and/or French with a working knowledge of the other.